Lighter



Jul 27, 1948; G. b. SCHMITT LIGHTER Filed March 25, 1944 INVENTOE. G'EORGE PHILIP SCHMIT'TI ATTORNE Patented July 27, T948 Georg e Ph-ilipschmitt, NewrYork, :N'. Y., assignor a to Cardinal: Products Inc., New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York 1 or the like applied thereto and drawn upon, may

beigni-teda Incatalyticlighter-s it has been found that if the fuel reservoir contains an excessive amount of fluid, then in an attempt to operate the lighter, the catalyst may become flooded and may not "function; In catalytic lighters, the fuel reservoir isusually filledei-ther by pouring the liquid fuel from a bottle into the reservoir or by employing a dropper. In either event, it is difiicult to exactly determine thequantity necessary to just saturate the absorbent mass in the reservoir, particularly by unskilled users of the lighter, with the result that in the desire of the user tofi'll the lighter to capacity, which normally, would be the mam'mum amount absorbed by the absorbent mass, he would not only put in :suffic-ientfiuid to saturate the absorbent mass but also to completelywfill the reservoir casing. Thus, after'the lighter has been carried around by the user or upon the user applying his cigarette to the lighter and drawing upon the same, the catalyst would become flooded'or saturated with the liquid fuel and would not function; and in the case where the cigarette has been applied to the lighter,

the top of'the former would also he saturated with the liquid fuel.

Furthermore, if the absorbent mass becomes supersaturated with the liquid. fuel, than the slightest drawing, upon the cigarette when applied tothe lighter, will cause the catalyst to become flooded. a 1

experienced user: of a catalytic lighter-of the typewherein the; catalyst unit is, removable from-thefuel reservoir for filling purposes, would,

after; filling. the fuelreservoir, drain the excess enced in! drawing off excessliquid fuel" which "Application 'March 23, 1944, Serial No. 527,687

3 Claims. (crew-4i when allowed to remain in the lighter, fioods the catalyst causing the same to become inoperative until itis dried out. i

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a catalytic lighter from l which the excess fluid fuel in the reservoir ofthe lighter may be readily drawn off, without diminishing the amount of fluid fuel with which the absorbent mass in the reservo'irhas been saturated;

It is ano'therobjedt of the presentfinvention to provide a catalytic lighter in which the exce'ss l fluid fuel therein may be drained therefrom through the meansemplo'yed for admitting altmospheric air into thelighter for admixture with Another object of the present invention isft-o provide "the fuel storage reservoir which isuSuaI- l'y compressed cotton, with'l-ongitudinal grooves,

canals or recesses in the sections thereof in which the excess fluid-will collect and from "which-it may be drained preferably throughan end of cumferential channels are provided for the passage of the excess fuel and for the further purpose of providing channels which are filled with vapor -to mix with the air flowing througb the channels. l

It is a further object of the present invention to provide method and means by which the aforementioned grooves, canals or recesses may be formed in a practical, economical and simple manner. i

Yet another object of the present invention resides in theprovision of a device for forming the aforementioned canals or recesses in the absorbent mass.-

' A still further object ofthe present invention resides in providing an electrically heated grooveburning device which by virtue'of its construction will out the grooves always in the same relative position and depth in each sectiomof the f u absorbent mass. l 1

And another objectof the present invention is. to construct thegroove-forming device in such a manner that only --a minimum amountwoi air will be admitted during the operation, thus preventing the danger of theabsorbent cotton mass from'scorching :or burning more than that requiredi-t'o form th'e'canal'or recess.

Further objects and advantages oi 'theinvention will-appear from the following disclosure ing II.

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating how the excess fluid" may be drained off; I

Let it be assumed that the lighter is to be filled with the vaporizable liquid fuel. The head I! of the lighter is removed and the liquid fuel poured or otherwise fed into the fuel reservoir within casing I I from the top I la thereof. A certain I amount of the liquid fuel will be absorbed by Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof a device'which may be employed to cut, burn or scorch the 1 recess or canal in the absorbent mass; and

Fig. 6 is an end view ofFig. 5 looking in the 1 direction of the arrow 6.

Referring now more particularlyto the drawing there is shown for the purpose ofillustration a practicalexample in which the invention maybe realized; a catalytic lighterlo having, an outer shell or casing II upon which is mounted a removable head I z containing thecatalyst unit (not seen) to be acted upon by the vaporizable fuel, coming from the fuel reservoir comprising the absorbent mass --I6 contained within cas- Within lighter I there is mounted the mechanism for operating the valve, (not seen) controllingthepassage of the fuel and airimixture from the fuel reservoir to the catalyst for incandescing thev latter. This .mechanism includes the plunger knob I3 and-rod Eftoperated thereby andpassing through the opening I5 in the absorbent mass I6. The foregoing parts,

.(other than the particular construction of the absorbent mass) are well-known in this type of lighter, reference being made to my Patent No. 2,243,924, dated June 3; 1941, for afurther understanding of. the operation of such a device.

Thehead I2 is open at its top .I2a for receiving therein the tip of a cigarette, .the catalyst ingIIatIIa. g I

The absorbent mass I5 in the lighter may comprise .one or more cylindricalunits-or sections I6a, Ifib .(Fig. 3); I60, Ifid, I'6e (Fig. 3a).

The longitudinal grooves, canals .or recesses N, Na, I11), I10, IId, for collecting anddraining the excess liquid fuel are provided in the surfaces of the respective units. I I

As indicated in Figs. '3 and 3a,. the units or sections are spaced from each other as, by spacers which may be of the same material as the units and which are smaller in diameter than the units, thereby providing circumferential grooves or channels'35 communicating with the longitudinal channels or grooves in the units.

In Fig. 3 the unitsIBa and "Share so disposed that the groove I1 is offset with relation to the groove I'm. In Fig. 3a, the units Ific, IGd, I66 are so relatively-disposed that the grooves I11) and IId. are insubstantial alinement while groove He is offset with relation thereto.

13a in-plunger I3. I

the absorbent mass I6 (which in Fig. 3 comprises units" lemglfi'b and in Figusa'comprises units I60, -I611} I 6e)'-."= The liquidav'hich is inexces 's of that required to saturate, the mass I6, will collect in the grooves II, Ila, 35 (Fig. 3); or I11), I10, "(I

and 35 (Fi 3a), as the case may be. Now, by

depressing the plunger I3, say, with the thumb 3| of the hand (gripping the lighter between fingers 30)- this excess fuel may be drained through thechannels I3a in the plunger, since channels I3a communicate with the fuel reservoir. If desired this excess fuel may be drained into the fuel containing bottle 32.

By staggering the longitudinal grooves and providing the circumferential grooves, the fluid fuel flowing in the grooves is made to travel, a circuitous path and will be absorbed by the absorbent mass, until the latter becomes saturated and the excess will then flow out of the channels For exemplification purposes, there is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, a simple devicefor forming the grooveor canal IT. This device comprises a substantially V-shaped trough 2| of any convenient length formed by two' angularly disposed Walls 22, 23 which may havethe lr meeting edges joined together as indicated at 25. Disposed intermediatev the ends of trough 2I and at the juncture 25, there is provided an electric heater 24. The heating element 24 may be heat insulated as indicated at 26 to prevent conductance of its heat to walls 22, 23; Electric Wires 21, 28'provide means to conductthe electric current to heating element 24 from an electric source of power (not shown).

.Thegrooves or canals I'I,. Ila, I'Ib, IIc, I'Id, are formed by placing a, section of the absorbent massv I6 intrough 2| and moving the same along the latter across the heating element 24. It can .be readily seen that one groove after another may be formed in the absorbent mass sections by continuously feeding or sliding the latter-along the trough 2|. I It is understood that each groove Il,-I'Ia, etc.,

'may be made in other ways than that shown .herein. The groove may be formed by compressing the material at the. surface orby employing a means pressing up against the surface of the material and causing a longitudinal dent 'to be formed therein. I

' Although the drawing, and the above specification disclose the best modes in whichI have contemplated embodying my invention. I desire in no way to be limited'to the details of-such disclosure, for in the further practical application of 'my invention many changes 'inthe forms and proportions may be made as circumstances require or experience suggests withoutdepart- "ing from the spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what -I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 'ent, is: I

allel thereto, the channels of adjacent sections being angularly displaced with respect to each other and being interconnected by a generally transverse channel provided on said body whereby fuel introduced at one end of the cylinder may be caused to permeate said mass and the excess fuel removed at the other end of the cylinder.

2. A fuel reservoir according to claim 1 wherein both said axial and transverse channels are grooves extending along the surface of said body.

3. A fuel reservoir for a lighter comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical bodies each formed with a longitudinal surface groove and made of a mass adapted to hold a liquid fuel, said bodies being mounted in coaxial alignment with one another and in such a manner that the grooves provided on adjacent bodies are relatively displaced by susbtantially 180 degrees, and spacing means between adjacent bodies, said spacing means forming a, peripheral groove between re- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 908,728 Battey Jan. 5, 1909 1,943,100 Walter Jan, 9, 1934 2,005,478 Schmitt June 18, 1935 2,016,898 Gulick Oct. 8, 1935 2,094,622 Schmitt Oct. 5, 1937 2,243,924 Schmitt et a1 June 3, 1941 2,255,718 Van Vorst Sept. 9, 1941 

